Automation flows are the perfect way to send multi-message flows to a specific customer segment or your entire subscriber base. With Flow Builder, you can easily visualize and build your flow, schedule individual messages, and take advantage of Subscriber Event Splits.
How A/B Testing Works
A/B testing is a go-to marketing tool to take the guesswork out of which products, messages, or user experiences will be well received. By testing multiple options, you gather useful data that will help you make informed decisions ahead of rolling out a more widespread SMS marketing initiative.
Here's how it works:
- Create two (or more) different keyword reply messages.
- Roll out the keyword to a small segment of customers or subscribers to test effectiveness.
- Compare your results. You can see which message has a higher earning per message (EPM) or click-through rate (CTR). That message is your more effective reply.
- Add the most effective reply to the keyword editor and roll out your keyword to a wider audience.
Why You Should A/B Test Your Keyword Replies
- You can get creative and test out different messages. Include images or GIFs, change up message copy, try out different timing intervals, and offer different calls to action (e.g., different promo codes, free shipping offer, etc.).
- Learn which messages your subscriber base engages with and apply those learnings to future keyword replies.
- Identify successful replies and use them for your larger customer base with confidence they'll perform well.
Create Your A/B Test in Flow Builder
- Create your keyword. Because we are adding a reply to the automation flow, be sure to create your keyword without a reply.
- Head to Flow Builder and create your automation flow.
- Set up your automation properties:
- Define the automation trigger. A trigger is an action that will begin the automation flow. Use the trigger Keywords Triggered for this flow.
- Add trigger filters. Trigger filters can help you fine-tune when an automation is triggered. For this automation, add the trigger filter Keyword is, then add your keyword to the input field.
- Add a subscriber frequency filter. The subscriber frequency filter allows you to choose how often a subscriber can enter a given automation flow for a certain period of time.
- Save. Select Save in the bottom right corner of the properties editor.
- Drag and Drop the A/B Split action under your automation properties block.
- Define the split you'd like to see (e.g. 50/50, 60/40, 70/30) within the A/B Split tool.
- Drag and Drop the Send Message action under each A/B Branch. These are the keyword replies you will be testing so be sure to create messages with variations like adding a gif or photo in one message, but not the other. Tip: Use our Duplicate tool to clone messages across branches.
- Select Save or Schedule or Activate in the upper-right area of Flow Builder. You can choose to activate the flow immediately or schedule the flow to activate at a certain time.
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